Category: Event

Last week we had the 360 degree camera and the Raspberry Pi added to the mix of activities. I got to check out the 360 degee camera, and it’s cool. Definitely something you want to check out Thursday during a break from your other projects!

As for the Raspberry Pi, Jeff and some of the participants began exploring the world of machine learning. They trained an artificial intelligence software running on a Raspberry Pi microcomputer to detect a hands-in-the-air gesture in a live video feed. Once the software learned their input they used a simple python script to trigger a cheering sound each time their gesture was recognized in the video feed!

We also need someone who wants to learn how to solder to help put together a couple of “persistence of vision” kits.

In addition to the stations above, we will have the the normal stations available:

This week we’ll be looking to add work with the 360 degree camera and raspberry pis to the list of activities available last week. The current “Maker Menu” includes: Continue reading “Thursday June 21”

Summer 2018 Athens Makers is starting Thursday June 7 from 6-8PM, and we will again meet in the basement of Clippinger Labs (Room 036) on the campus of Ohio University. We currently plan to run every Thursday from 6-8PM with the possibility of a few other special events throughout the summer.

As with other summers, there is no registration required and there is no fee. This is a completely volunteer operation, and we operate on a shoestring with some equipment support from the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery. Contact Dr. Mark Lucas (lucasm at ohio.edu) to receive periodic mailings about AthensMakers activities as well as related activities that may be of interest.

This summer we’re looking to try something a little different and more open-ended. Instead of a single topic each night, there will be a lot of different options are available each night. This allows the participants to follow their interests better and build up their skill base at their own pace.

As we prepare for the first night, we are looking to have stations that include:

Green screen movie making

Arduino microcontrollers

Maker cart (sail cars, fan cars, judobots and more)

3D Printing and 3D Design

Snap Circuits

Makey Makeys

As we progress through the summer, are looking at adding such options as:

Raspberry pi

Google Voice recognition

Audacity Sound Recording and editing

360 degree photography

Stop Motion movie making

And a lot more.

We are also tentatively looking at having a “Discovery Fair” Saturday August 4. This would be a chance for participants and other community member to bring out their projects and show them off! More details to come.

Come learn about musical instruments and the science of musical instruments. Dr. Kordesch, our local physics of musical instruments expert will be there. Try your hand at making instruments from a wide range of materials, including a PVC flute, recorder or clarinet as well as other options. We will have special guests this evening. Fulbright Scholars from around the world preparing to start their graduate studies in the United States will join us. In addition to making instruments, we hope to learn a little more about instruments from other countries.

What: The Arduino Microcontroller is a small computer that allows one to easily interface with the world: light lights, sense buttons, run motors, …. This open-source design is one of the major fixtures in the modern-day Do-It-Yourself community. We’ll have projects for both beginners and more advanced users. We will have a collection of kits, but feel free to bring your own if you have one.

There’s never quite enough time to explore as much as you might want in one evening. Open Night is a chance to go back and explore activities in more depth or try something out from a night you did not make it to. If this is your first time to Makers, that’s not a problem! We’ll have the Maker Cart, Snap Circuits, probably some LEGOS and K’NEX, and maybe even a Makey Makey or two out for people to experiment with! You also never know what other things might pop up at an Open Night!

(Originally scheduled July 6, this event was moved to July 13.) Mr. Nick Conroy will lead a 3D printing workshop. We will have several printers available. Nick will discuss the basics of 3D printing and participants will learn how to create 3D models in Tinkercad. The printers will be available to print models, but the reality is that a single print may take a while, so some prints may need to be left for subsequent weeks. Tinkercad is a free online tool supported by Autodesk. In order to save your models, you need to set up an account at https://www.tinkercad.com There will be a limited number of temporary accounts set up, but if you can set up an account in advance (click sign up in the upper right corner of the screen), that would help.

Movie Making Madness in partnership with the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery! Join us for a hands-on exploration of simple movie-making and sound engineering. Learn to use recording technology, manipulate sound recordings, and film a story.